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Posted: 09 July 2008 at 11:54am | IP Logged

Hi everyone,

I have a research opportunity in the field of children's and family ministry. I need five children's ministry leaders to help me out. If you are interested in participating as subjects and fellow researchers in this project, please private message me asap with your name, location and church name, plus approximate church size, both entire attendance and children's attendance on a typical weekend. I will notify this list when positions are filled. Thanks! 

Here are the details.

1. This is a case-study/ethnographic research study. Names of churches and participants will be closely guarded and will not appear in publicized documentation in any form, whether web or print. All personally identifiable information will be kept strictly confidential. In fact, I do not need to know the names of the people you interview in your church.

2. I intend to research the children's and family ministries of five churches, including the leaders of each ministry, plus from one to five families in each church.

3. I am seeking five children's ministry leaders. You may be either part-time or full-time, volunteer or paid. Male or female. Married or single. Your title is not as important as your role. In other words, you don't need to have a title such as children's and family minister. Nor does your church necessarily need to have a well-developed family ministry. Leaders of small churches are especially invited to apply.

4. Your church may be located either in North America, or in another part of the world, such as Europe, Australia, New Zealand, or in a Majority World country.

5. Your role will be to help me gather data concerning one to five families in your church, specifically with regard to how they function on a daily basis. It will require about four hours of your time per family. Also, I will ask you to fill out a questionaire about your church and yourself in terms of your leadership role.

6. We will communicate via email and possibly at least once on the phone, at my expense.

7. Closing date for applying for this opportunity is Thursday, July 31 at 11 pm EST.

8. Benefits to you: While I cannot afford to compensate you financially for your time and effort, I will offer you free ministry coaching/consulting via the web and by phone for one year, beginning on January 1, 2009. Phone conversations are limited to six sessions of 1/2 hour each, to be used as you need them. Normally, about once every two months works best. Emails are unlimited. Plus, if you request it, I will add you to my dissertation email list so that you may see the results of what I actually write based on the research. This keeps me accountable to you and gives you the benefit of your hard work!

9. My dissertation topic is: Praxis of Nurture and Mission in the Small Church: A Practical Theology of Children's and Family Ministry.

Again, if you are interested in participating as subjects and fellow researchers in this project, please private message me asap with your name, location and church name, plus approximate church size, both entire attendance and children's attendance on a typical weekend. I will notify this list when positions are filled. Thanks! 

UPDATE as of Tuesday, July 22.

Four positions have been filled. One remains open, with at least one person considering it. So hurry if you are interested! I expect it to be filled within a week or so.